It's an aura, so has the down sides of an aura. I use it in my R/G weenie deck. A good opening is Mountain and Kird Ape on turn 1, followed by Forest and Armor of Thorns on turn 2.
I find it very rare that I ever play Armor of Thorns as an enchantment. I have Giant Growths in my deck as well, so the ability to play it as an instant is redundant in my deck.
Dr.Pingas
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
I really liked the "you can use this aura as an instant instead" ability, I wish they'd keyword it and bring it back. Sorta like Evoke but for auras.
Irixio
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
Stuntman-They did, it's called flash. However, this card works differently if you cast it using flash, so that's why it's written "You may cast this card as though it had flash. If you do..."
DarthParallax
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.5/5.0)(1 vote)
New Template
Fast Enchantment
Enchantment--Aura
Flash
Enchanted Creature gets/does something
If you played this spell on your opponent's turn, sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.
longwinded
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
I still don't get why this has "may be cast as though it has flash" as opposed to simply having flash. The heavy lifting is all done by the second clause, "if you cast it any time a sorcery couldn't have been cast, the controller of the permanent it becomes sacrifices it at the beginning of the next cleanup step," which is applicable no matter how you were able to cast it at that time.
I could understand the argument being made if it really, clearly did not have flash. (There is one card -- Mystical Teachings -- which might care.) Unfortunately, flash didn't exist when this was printed, and there's plenty of precedent for replacing the long form of an ability with the keyword when ti becomes available: * On Mystic Veil, Deep Spawn, and Autumn Willow, "~ cannot be the target of spells or effects" became shroud * On Ashen Ghoul, Zirilan of the Claw, and Magus of the Unseen, "~ can attack and tap the the turn it comes into play" or "~ is unaffected by summoning sickness" became haste * On Giant Spider, "~ can block creatures with flying" became reach * On Serra Angel, and Zephyr Falcon, "attacking does not cause ~ to tap" became vigilance.
The only difference I can see would be if the card somehow gained flash or similar in another way, say with Vernal Equinox. In that case, you would hope the wording would be such that the enchantment need not be sacrificed. But even with Oracle's current wording, it doesn't make that distinction. The "you may... if you do" form has already gone missing, so giving the card a different form of pseudo-flash doesn't save it from sacrifice at the end of your turn.
I guess the most observant way to phrase it now would be "You may cast Armor of Thorns as though it had flash. If you do, and you cast it any time a sorcery couldn't have been cast, the controller of the permanent it becomes sacrifices it at the beginning of the next cleanup step." (I also think "its controller" is a perfectly acceptable alternative to "the controller of the permanent it becomes".)
blurrymadness
☆☆☆☆☆ (0.0/5.0)
@longwinded While you're correct with the current wording; they have to preserve the spell as is; so it can't just gain flash. If a spell were to interact with other spells that have flash, this would not technically have it.
That said, their wording screws up the interaction with things like Leyline of Anticipation, because that shouldn't cause this to be destroyed (as it actually does have flash when that's out) but with the oracle wording it is.
Comments (7)
I find it very rare that I ever play Armor of Thorns as an enchantment. I have Giant Growths in my deck as well, so the ability to play it as an instant is redundant in my deck.
Fast Enchantment
Enchantment--Aura
Flash
Enchanted Creature gets/does something
If you played this spell on your opponent's turn, sacrifice it at the beginning of the next end step.
I could understand the argument being made if it really, clearly did not have flash. (There is one card -- Mystical Teachings -- which might care.) Unfortunately, flash didn't exist when this was printed, and there's plenty of precedent for replacing the long form of an ability with the keyword when ti becomes available:
* On Mystic Veil, Deep Spawn, and Autumn Willow, "~ cannot be the target of spells or effects" became shroud
* On Ashen Ghoul, Zirilan of the Claw, and Magus of the Unseen, "~ can attack and tap the the turn it comes into play" or "~ is unaffected by summoning sickness" became haste
* On Giant Spider, "~ can block creatures with flying" became reach
* On Serra Angel, and Zephyr Falcon, "attacking does not cause ~ to tap" became vigilance.
So in what way does "you may choose to play ~ as an instant" differ from "you may play this card any time you could cast an instant"? I ask in earnest: what is the template issue with actually giving this flash? Similarly for Grave Servitude, Lightning Reflexes, Mystic Veil, Necromancy, Parapet, Relic Ward, Soar, Spider Climb, and Ward of Lights.
The only difference I can see would be if the card somehow gained flash or similar in another way, say with Vernal Equinox. In that case, you would hope the wording would be such that the enchantment need not be sacrificed. But even with Oracle's current wording, it doesn't make that distinction. The "you may... if you do" form has already gone missing, so giving the card a different form of pseudo-flash doesn't save it from sacrifice at the end of your turn.
I guess the most observant way to phrase it now would be "You may cast Armor of Thorns as though it had flash. If you do, and you cast it any time a sorcery couldn't have been cast, the controller of the permanent it becomes sacrifices it at the beginning of the next cleanup step." (I also think "its controller" is a perfectly acceptable alternative to "the controller of the permanent it becomes".)
While you're correct with the current wording; they have to preserve the spell as is; so it can't just gain flash. If a spell were to interact with other spells that have flash, this would not technically have it.
That said, their wording screws up the interaction with things like Leyline of Anticipation, because that shouldn't cause this to be destroyed (as it actually does have flash when that's out) but with the oracle wording it is.
*sigh*